Quote:
Originally Posted by T Bone
Understood.....using the heavy vs. light crankshaft example below....we are talking about the rate of change in revs. At a steady RPM, the only thing the engine is fighting is internal engine friction (plus the load on the drivetrain). At a steady RPM, it is not dealing with the inertia of say heavier components.
When constantly changing RPMs, the air-fuel charge would be better used to accelerate rather than overcome inertia caused by heavier internal parts.
Not trying to argue, I would like to get a better understanding....
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Yes, rotational inertia only becomes a load during angular acceleration. Otherwise, it is not experienced as a load. (I was editing my post to make that clearer when you responded). If you discount tire friction, the same thinking applies to the mass of the car; the engine experiences the mass of the car as a load only when you accelerate.